Machine for forming postholes



J. G. MILLER.

MACHINE FOR FORMING POSTHOLES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 31.1919.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

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J. G. MILLER.

MACHINE FOR FORMING POSTHOLES.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 31,1919. 1,338,948. Patented May 4, 1920.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN G. MILLER, 0F WATERLOO, IOWA. 'I; i' 1 T MACHINE FOR FORMING POSTHOLES. M v 5 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 1920.

Application filed July 31, 1919. Serial No. 314,450.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN G. MILLER, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of Vaterloo, Blackhawk county, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Forming Postholes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in machines for forming post holes, and the object of my improvement is to provide an apparatus, mounted for transportation, and comprising mechanisms adapted for occasional coaction in the drilling of post holes, including the raising and lowering of the boring-tool and its adjustment for opera tion in the desired locations. r

This object I have accomplished by the mechanism which is hereinafter described and claimed, and which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved apparatus; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same; Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof, with parts removed; Fig. 4 is a cross section thereof, with parts removed or broken away; and Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation of the rocking frame, parts thereof being in vertical section.

. Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The mechanism and supporting structures therefor of my invention are mounted upon a transportable base comprising spaced longitudinal beams or skids 61 covered at'the rear by a platform and connected in front by a cross-beam 69. The supporting structure comprises spaced vertical beams 63 and 65 fixed on the ends of the beam 69 and connected at their tops by a cross beam 64. An intermediate vertical beam 66 is fixed between the cross beams 64 and 69, while the vertical beams 63 and 66 are connected by other cross beams 67 and 68. Fixed standards 59 on the platform 60 have bearings 58 for a rotatable shaft 57, the latter adapted to be driven b an engine or other means, not shown. pon said shaft is a belt-wheel 56 connected by a driving-belt 55 with a smaller belt-wheel 54 which is slidably rotatably mounted on a rotatable shaft 44 mounted in alined bearings 52 and 53 on the vertical beams 66 and 65 respectivel One end of the hub 42 of the whee 54 has an annular groove to receive a shifting middle of the arm 43, and also at its opposite end, pivoted at 72 to a hand-lever 74, the

lower end of the latter being pivoted at 73 to said beam 69. On the other end of the hub of said wheel 54 is fixed a spur-pinion 39, and extending therefrom is a clutchmember 40 adapted to mate with a clutchsleeve 41 fixed on the shaft 44.

On the inner end of the shaft 44 is fixed a bevel pinion 45, in mesh with a bevel gear 46 the latter fixedly mounted on a vertical rotatable shaft 7 which is mounted in alined bearings 8 on the cross-beams 67 and 68.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 5, the nu meral 5 denotes a vertical frame having bearings 6 rotatably mountedon said shaft 7 above the bevel gear-Wheel 46 whereby said frame may be rocked to and fro horizontally and laterally. Uponthe outer ends of the frame 5 are vertically alined bearings 4 within which are mounted rotatably sleeves 3. The sleeves 3 have alinedvertical bearing orifices of square cross section to slidably receive a squared vertical shaft 2 supplied at its lower end with a boring-tool 1. Upon the shaft 7 is fixed a sprocket-wheel 47 connected by means of a sprocket-chain 50 with a sprocket-wheel 48 fixed on the lower sleeve 3, and an idler-sprocket 49 is rotatably mounted on a short vertical shaft 75 fixed in a bearing 51 on said frame, said idler meshing with said sprocket-chain 50 to keep it taut. The numeral 14 denotes a rock-arm made up of parallel members fixed on a pin 19 which extends downwardly into a bearing 16 on the-upper cross-beam 64. vIn the forward end of the arm 14 is a vertical squared opening to slidably receive the upper part of the squaredshaft 2. Smallsheaves 17 and 18 are rotatably mounted between the members of said. arm at their forward and rear ends and a cable 13 is carried from an eye 12 on a ring 76, the latter mounted loosely on a sleeve 9 which is fixed on the shaft 2, the cable being carried about the sheaves and thence downwardly to be wound about a winding-drum 20.

The numeral 10 denotes a sleeve mounted loosely on the other sleeve 9 and has a rigid horizontal arm 11. This arm may be used for manually rocking the frame 5 with the winding shaft 2 horizontally to place the boring-tool 1 in a desired place for drilling a post-hole.

A brace 15 has its upper end fixed to the forward part of the swinging arm 14 and has its lower end pivotally mounted on the upper part of the shaft 7 above the upper bearing 8.

The numeral 21 denotes a horizontal shaft mounted in orificed bearing brackets 22 extending rearwardly from the standards and 66, and carries on one end a spur gearwheel 38 in mesh with the spur pinion 39.

The wheel 38 has an extended hub providedits lower parts pivotally connected to a hand lever 30. One end of the lever 30 is pivoted to the standard 66 at 32, and its other or free end is passed through the opening of a bracketed rack 29, and has a tooth or detent adapted to engage adjustably with teeth 28 on said rack.

On the outer end of the shaft 21 is fixed a sleeve 23 annular-12y grooved to receive the fork 25 of a shifting-lever 2 1 pivoted at 33 to a bracket 34 on the standard 63. By this lever, the shaft 21 may be shifted longitudinally sufficiently to engage ord-isengage the clutch-parts 36 and 37.

'When the clutch parts 36 and 37 are disengaged, and the other clutch parts 40 and 4:1 engaged, the shaft 82' is rotated by the power transmitting mechanism described, and the shaft 21, with the winding drum 20, may rotate freely, the cable 13 unwinding as the boring-tool 1 descends. At the end of the operation, the clutch parts 40 and 41 may be disengaged, and the other clutch parts 36- and' 37 reenga-ged, which causes cessation of rotation of the shaft 2', and a reverse rotation of the. winding drum 2%) to -wind up said cable 13 and elevate the shaft. 2, as the pinion 39 is wide enough to permit it, it will not become disengaged from the gear whe'el 38 when the clutch parts 40 and 41 are separated. The bandbrake 27 is employed upon the frictiondrum 261 in the usual manner when necessaryduring said operation.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters'Patentfis:

. 1. I11 a device of the character described, a transportable structure, a laterally rocking frame mounted thereon, verticallyalined bearings in said frame, sleeves rotatable in'said'bearings having alined rectangular openings, a rectangular shaft slidably non-rotatably mounted in said sleeves, a boring-tool on said shaft, a winding-drum mounted rotatably on said structure, a cable connected between said winding-drum and said shaft, driving mechanism operativel connected to said shaft to rotate with said sleeves in said bearings, and a disconnectible connection between said driving mechanism and said winding-drum.

2. In a device of the character described, a supporting structure, a frame bracketed thereto to rock transversely, a tool-bearing rotatable shaft vertically slidable in said frame, driving-mechanism disconnectibly connected to said shaft to rotate it, and means for raisingand lowering said shaft connected thereto and disconnectibly con nected to said driving-mechanism.

3. Ina device of the character described, a supporting-structure, a frame bracketed to said structure to rock laterally, a toolbearing shaft slidably and rotatably mounted on; said frame, and a handle pivotally mounted on said shaft to extend angularly therefrom.

4;. Ina devlce of the character described,

a transportable structure, a frame bracketed thereon to rock horizontally, a vertical toolbearing shaft rotatably and longitudinally slidably mountedin said frame, and an arm pivotally mounted on said shaft for rocking it to desired locations.

5. In a device of the character described,

a transportable structure, a rotatable shaft thereon, a frame bracketed on said shaft to rock horizontally, a shaftbothrotatable and longitudinally slidable. on said frame, sprocket-wheels non-rotatably mounted on both said shafts, a sprocket-chain about said wheels, an idler sprocket-wheel rotatably mounted on said: frame 'andmeshcd with said chain intermediate the other sprocket wheels, driving means for rotating said first-mentioned shaft, and? means for raising and lowering said second-mentioned shaft disconnectibly connected to said driving means.

Signed at of July, 1919.

\Vaterloo, Iowa, this 14th day Jornv e. ILLER. 

